MILWAUKEE — With the MLB trade deadline approaching on Monday afternoon, the rumor mill continues to turn for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Milwaukee has been involved in several trade talks to acquire a starting pitcher, but talks have reportedly stalled with the Oakland A’s because the Brewers are unwilling to include outfielder Lewis Brinson as part of the deal to land Sonny Gray.

Talks with #Brewers and #Athletics for Sonny Gray have stalled. The #As are insisting on CF Lewis Brinson. The Brewers won't trade him.

The Brewers are in the midst of a crucial series with the Cubs that could set the tone moving forward in the National League Central. In 17 games at the Major League level, Brinson has struggled to a .128 batting average, but has been lighting it up in Triple A Colorado Springs, batting .345.

It would appear as though Milwaukee has moved on to a new trade target, with reports linking the Brewers to the Marlins, though several other teams are also interested in right hander Dan Straily.

Straily has three more years of control, so he fits that category for #Brewers. But also means Marlins will want significant return. https://t.co/Bytt5fysrr

Straily will make just $552,000 for this season, meaning Miami will want a large haul of prospects in return for the lengthy team control. Perhaps a preemptive move to build demand in the market, Miami was reportedly not considering and trade offers for Straily.

The 28-year-old hurler gave up a league-high 31 home runs last year and has already given up 19 this season in his 21 starts. The positive for whichever team ends up controlling Straily through 2020 is that his K/9 rate last year (7.6) has improved to 8.2 in 2017.

MILWAUKEE — The Miami Marlins avoided a weekend sweep by striking early in a 10-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday afternoon at Miller Park.

Miami outfielder Marcell Ozuna hit a pair of home runs, including a three-run blast in the third inning that gave the Marlins the lead for good. Milwaukee’s Junior Guerra was tagged for eight hits and four runs in four-plus innings in which his fastball topped out at 92.1 MPH. Guerra’s average fastball this season travels just 90 MPH.

“Yeah, there’s something up,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of Guerra’s struggles. “There’s always something up when you’re not having success. The velocity is lower than last year and I think he can be successful with better location. That’s what we’ll work on.”

Eric Thames and Orlando Arcia went yard for the Brewers, but the offense did little to make up for the 17 hits Miami was able to record. In addition to Ozuna’s success at the plate, J.T. Realmuto went 3-for-6 with two RBI and Christian Yelich went 4-for-5 with a run driven in.

Milwaukee also sent Paolo Espino to Triple A, while announcing Brent Suter as the replacement for Chase Anderson in Monday’s start against the Baltimore Orioles. Anderson hit the 10-day DL with an oblique strain suffered on Wednesday.

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers scored seven in the second inning of an 8-4 win over the Miami Marlins Saturday afternoon, highlighted by a two-run shot from Domingo Santana.

Santana finished 2-for-3 on the afternoon, with his home run just making it over the outfield wall, popping out of the outstretched glove of Giancarlo Stanton.

“I know we are a long [way] from the season being over, so we just have to go out there and just play and try to win ballgames every day,” said Santana. “I think we’re going to be where we want to be at the end of the season if we keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Brewers starter Zach Davies added some insurance to his own cause with an RBI on a fielder’s choice. He tossed six innings with five strikeouts while giving up four runs.

Milwaukee extended its lead in the National League Central to three games over the Chicago Cubs after they fell to the Cincinnati Reds.

MILWAUKEE — Newcomer Stephen Vogt couldn’t have began his debut as a Brewer at Miller Park any better, hitting two home runs and making a key defensive play to give Milwaukee a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins Friday night.

Vogt accounted for all three Brewers runs, driving in the first on a solo home run in the fifth inning, before doubling up on a two-run blast in the seventh which proved to be the winning run. But his ninth-inning tag of Miami’s J.T. Realmuto at the plate prevented the Marlins from scoring the tying run, while preserving Corey Knebel’s 13th save of the year.

The two-time A’s All-Star was 2-for-3 at the plate in the win, improving his batting average to .226

Not only did Knebel log his 13th save, but he also set a Major League record with 40 consecutive appearances this season with at least one strikeout. That breaks a record held by former Cubs reliever and Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter set in 1977.

“Forty straight appearances with a strikeout is unbelievable. It really is,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s something else, and he should be very proud of it for sure. It’s consistency, is what it is. And it’s bringing ‘A’ stuff to the game every single night. We’ve used Corey obviously quite a bit, too, but he’s answered the bell every single night with plus, plus stuff.”

The win also maintained Milwaukee’s first-place hold on the National League Central. They currently have a two-game lead over the second-place Cubs.

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks have lost 10 of their last 11 games but will get a morale boost on Wednesday night with the return of Khris Middleton, who’s been recovering from a ruptured hamstring suffered in the preseason.

During the broadcast of Friday night’s 121-117 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Middleton told Fox Sports Wisconsin he’d been medically cleared to return to game action, having missed the first 50 games of the season. It was reported on Jan. 6 that Middleton could return prior to the All-Star break, initially thought to be an injury that would keep him out the entire season.

“It’s possible,” Middleton said last month in regard to a possible February return. “That’s if everything goes right, with no setbacks and a good, long stretch of practices. Still a long way to go but I’m working towards it.”

The fifth-year forward averaged 18.2 points, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds last year. His return could not only provide another consistent scorer alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, but it could help Milwaukee claw its way back into the playoff picture, currently 2.5 games and three spots back from the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

It’s unclear exactly how much Middleton would play in his season debut. He’ll make his return Feb. 8 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee when they host the Miami Heat at 7 p.m.